The 50th Annual Bayou Classic pitting Southern & Grambling against each other in a historic rivalry was a hit once again for HBCU football. The game drew 64,698 fans to Ceaser's Superdome in New Orleans on Saturday, per final attendance numbers reported by both Southern and Grambling's athletics department.

The number is significant in the ever-evolving debate on the popularity of football to the HBCU consumer and relative to the FCS landscape. The opening round of the 2023 NCAA FCS playoffs was also held on Saturday and featured reigning Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central facing off against Richmond. The opening-round playoff matchups were announced last Sunday in the FCS Selection show that was broadcast on ESPNU.

According to attendance numbers secured by Stats Perform, all eight FCS playoff games combined drew 42,653 attendees. Of note to HBCU football fans, the combined attendance numbers for the FCS Playoffs opening round attendance were dwarfed by the Bayou Classic. While many variables played a factor in the Bayou Classic's high attendance, the 64,000+ attendance number shows the popularity of HBCU football as well as matchups that people want to see.

Below are the numbers for each FCS football game that was played on Saturday. The FCS Playoff numbers are courtesy of Stats Perform.

GameAttendance Number Venue
Bayou Classic: Southern vs. Grambling64,698Ceaser's Superdome (New Orleans, LA)
Drake vs. North Dakota State7,798Fargodome (Fargo, ND)
Chattanooga vs. Austin Peay7,249Fortera Stadium (Clarksville, TN)
Sacramento State vs. North Dakota6,522Alerus Stadium (Grand Forks, ND)
Nicholls vs. Southern Illinois4,576Saluki Stadium (Carbondale, IL)
Gardner-Webb vs. Mercer4,500FiveStar Stadium (Macon, GA)
NC Central vs. Richmond4,103E. Claiborn Robins Stadium (Richmond, VA)
Lafayette vs. Delaware4,039Delaware Stadium (Newark, DE)
Duquesne vs. Youngtown State3,866Arnold D. Stambaugh Stadium (Youngstown, OH)

 

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